


了見

by PeepMeep



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Series, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Angst, Datastormshipping, I specfically wrote this to be the first person in the character tag, M/M, slash be the first person to use his normie name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 05:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13896831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeepMeep/pseuds/PeepMeep
Summary: ryō: perfective, "complete," "comprehension"ken: "see"ryōken: "intention," "motive," "thought"





	了見

**Author's Note:**

> No proofreading we post like men

He wanted to know everything about him. He knew his regular order at their favorite ca fe, he knew how his eyelashes shifted from black to brown when sunlight shone through them. 

But there was still so much he didn’t know about his boyfriend. His parents “weren’t around,” said in that way Yusaku always did when he wanted a subject dropped. He always had his duel disk but he’d never seen him duel. 

“What do you want to do?” he would ask. “After school, what do you want to do with your life?” And Yusaku would always shrug. 

“Haven’t thought about it.” But Ryoken could tell that he had, many times. There was something there that he didn’t want to bring up. He had his own secrets, of course, but he kept them to himself. Yusaku didn’t need to be burdened with the story of his father’s condition, of his guilt about being involved in the Lost Incident, no matter how minor it was. 

There was no family, no friends, outside the man who ran the hot dog truck, and that would be too obvious. He didn’t want to pry, but he had to know. If there was something there, anything, that he could do to help, he would.

 

\---

 

Nothing in Link VRAINS was real, but that didn’t keep everything from feeling so real. Keeping his feet planted on his D-board and moving through the data storm required an intense awareness of his body. The smallest movement could upset his balance if he wasn’t careful; the terror felt when he almost falls is just as real as if he tripped on the steps to Starlight Road.

Revolver knew this was just his brain reacting to false stimuli and would be fine as soon as he logged out. If he hadn’t chosen an avatar with so few emotes he was certain he would give himself away every time he saw Playmaker.

He had evolved from an annoyance to the biggest threat to the Knights of Hanoi; he couldn’t help but gain respect for this individual who only grew stronger after every challenge they threw at him. At one point he realized that respect had grown into something more, something he could never pursue. Playmaker was enemy number 1 and what ultimately stood between him and saving the world from a threat it didn’t know, and hopefully never would.

Still. Even outside of Link VRAINS, when he was still Revolver, still a Knight, he couldn’t stop thinking about this person he didn’t dare ascribe words to how he really felt. Then it wouldn’t be real, the perfectly perfect avatar wasn’t real, no relationship could ever work between them, even if they weren’t enemies. Everything about Playmaker was the antithesis of his morals and his world view and he hated him for it. 

He didn’t want to only feel hate towards him, but he didn’t want anything else to seem more real.

 

\---

 

“What’s wrong?” Absentmindedly he reached across the table and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Yusaku didn’t react. 

“I want to help,” Ryoken added.

“You don’t need to worry about me. It’s nothing.” There it was, the wall he put up, that he was desperate to tear down and help him in whatever way he could. The Kogami name meant something, to certain people, he knew he could do more than Yusaku probably thought he did. But it didn’t matter if he never let him in.

His fingers entwined with the other boy’s. He noticed the difference in their hands, where the bright-red tattoo stood out in stark contrast to his pale skin. Yusaku never asked about it, he never tried to peel back the layers like Ryoken was so desperate to do. He wasn’t sure how he would even be able to answer those questions.

 

\----

 

His Knights were falling, one by one, to Playmaker’s sword. Somehow, he had allies, despite being a lone agent for years. Time was running out until the Tower of Hanoi would be deployed and nothing could get in their way.

It was easier this way, seeing Playmaker as a symbol of a movement to be destroyed. Now there could be more than one target for his anger. Everything wasn’t his doing anymore, but he now felt less like a person. It would make the inevitable easier.

 

\----

 

[I’m sorry, but I can’t. Something came up.]

Ryoken stared at the message, notification light dimming on the phone he only used to talk to Yusaku. They were both hurting, he knew that, but he wanted to do anything he could for him. Yusaku was his last link to normalcy, the flesh-and-blood interactions that were what truly mattered. 

Once his father’s plan was complete, he wouldn’t have to worry about his own issues anymore. The world might come to an end, but he would have someone by his side. Maybe it would solve whatever it was that was hurting him, too, then they could both finally be happy.

[You know I’m here if you need anything]

[I know. Thank you.]

 

\---

 

Playmaker’s greatest fault was his sense of justice. No matter who, he would stick his nose into it to help. It took more people than Revolver would like to admit, but creating Anothers was the bait that would allow them to finally end Playmaker. He always found an escape in Link VRAINS, whoever helped him was as competent of a hacker as any of the Knights. This would have to be dealt with the old-fashioned way, in the only world that mattered.

Even without the avatar, he was Revolver. He sat in front of the rows of monitors, where the blue glow hurt his eyes. He told himself this would be over soon, then no more fighting, no more hacking, no more Playmaker.

It was easier this way. He wouldn’t have to do the deed, he didn’t have the training to even use his namesake, but it would mean Playmaker would never log in again. He could tell himself that maybe he gave up, that he was still out there, in some way, being the headstrong, brave, stupid person he was desperate to know. Even if it meant tarnishing that image by making him a coward at the final hour.

There was a ping; movement was detected on one of the hidden cameras. Two people walked into the view of the monitor, unaware that their last shred of armor, their anonymity, was gone.

 

\---

 

Even in the dark room, he knew him. He’d studied that profile for countless hours, sitting next to each other on a park bench or from a glance when they walked together. 

These past few days Ryoken was desperate to see his face, to see if he was smiling again. But on his Yusaku he could only see the knit brow, the fire in his eyes, the burning resolve of Playmaker.

 

\---

 

“Have you discovered the identity of Playmaker?”

They were both in the same room, but they could only speak in Link VRAINS. For once, Revolver was grateful of this. Without the digital mask he was unsure of his ability to speak with such confidence.

“I have not,” he lied.

His father wasn’t phased. “It doesn’t matter. Soon we’ll deploy the Tower of Hanoi and this will be over.”

Revolver didn’t answer. He knew it was true. He would simply find his own ending sooner.

 

\---

 

[I want to see you.]

Ryoken allowed himself a moment of calm. Yusaku had messaged first; he wasn’t sure if he could convince him otherwise, not without revealing his hand too early.

They agreed upon a net cafe, where Ryoken ended up arriving first, securing one of the private rooms. As he waited he thought of the countless hours lost in places like this. People kept putting yen into the machines, wasting their lives focusing on the digital world over the real. Gamblers, at least, had hope of getting something back. He wouldn’t miss this when it was gone.

He started when the door knob jiggled. In the short moment before the door opened he regained his composure, brought his mind back to the plan, but it was all gone the moment he saw Yusaku.

“Hey,” he offered, blanking on anything more complex than that.

Yusaku exhaled and closed the door behind him. He turned, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so busy, but it was getting too much, I needed this.”

 

\---

 

How many years had he waited for this? Playmaker, face to face, with no distance between them. There were no masks or avatars or unknown miles between them.

But now the Knight had his prince, safe, even if it was from himself. But now his mouth on his, hands in his hair, murmuring “Ryo.” There was too much in it: relief, longing, worry, fear. They were both without their armor, just two boys in a world where things like death were a reality, ever-looming on the horizon.

Revolver couldn’t let that happen to the one person that was left, the one person who had been in his thoughts for years, even before he was struck with realization and could finally put words to how he felt this whole time.

“Let me help you,” he whispered, “Playmaker.”

 

\---

 

“W-what did you say?”

Yusaku had shrunk, an animal caged between Ryoken’s arms.

“You don’t have to fight anymore. I don’t want to hurt you, I can’t.”

“Who are you.” 

This wasn’t right, this wasn’t supposed to be his reaction. Ryoken’s eyes dropped nervously to Playmaker’s wrist, expecting the Ignis to burst forth and sink his teeth into him again. This did not go unnoticed to Yusaku.

“Revolver…?” 

Ryoken couldn’t meet his gaze, he didn’t want to see the hurt, he could already picture it with too much detail.

“How long have you known?”

“I don’t know.” The words came out on their own. “Maybe I always knew.”

Yusaku shifted, Ryoken dropped his arms. There was a heavy moment, where nothing happened but everything was said. He didn’t move when Yusaku left his vision nor when the door hit him as Yusaku scrambled out of the room, running to...he didn’t know. It didn’t matter.

They were both gone.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/chasestarb) and [tumblr](http://phektrek.tumblr.com/)! I'm always open for commissions, message if interested.  
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End file.
